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This happens with some regularity, but usually with less clarity. There comes a point where I'm dissatisfied with the selection of decks I have out for playing with and want to try something else, something new, something more interesting. This time I'm beginning to think some decks are frustrating less because they're complicated, and more because they're just not that deep.

I watch a lot of tarot videos on youtube. You might think it's counterproductive and sabotages the whole depth year concept, and you'd be partly right. There is always a risk of seeing a new shiny thing you want to try. Fortunately most of those are indie decks and therefore “safe” – too expensive and too difficult to obtain anyway. But in my experience the more I watch and the more I see everyone working with and gushing about the same handful of decks each year, the less excited I am about them. I think it's because over time I can bypass everyone's hype and figure out what I think for myself. And usually it's that actually these super popular decks don't do anything for me. I don't have to have them just because youtubers who make a living off this are excited.

Recently I've been catching up with video responses to the #only10decks hashtag, again seeing a lot of repeats, whether of classic or more modern decks. These videos got me thinking how unexcited about my own unintentional collection I am. There are definitely decks I wouldn't want to part with and I might even be able to select ten of them, but it would be based on aesthetics or rarity, not how meaningful and rich and deep my experiences with the cards are. And that led me to realizing more clearly than before what a difference a deep deck makes, and how many of mine are just... gimmicky.

Reading with a thoroughly thought out deck is like a bath for the soul – comfort, nuance, clarity, understanding, connection. Reading with gimmick decks feels like sliding on a frozen puddle. I like variety, I like fun, I like different aesthetics, and I fall for the gimmicks easily. They're not worthless, far from it. I don't regret having those decks and playing around with them. But I think there is an unintentional, invisible cost. The more I play around with the gimmicky decks, the more it clouds my perception of what tarot is and could be, making it seem like this is all there is. So when I reach for one of the few deeper decks I have it comes as a shock to the system, in a very pleasant way.

Why don't I stay with the deep decks, then? Because there's always a “but”. They do need to be studied. They aren't my aesthetic. They have a weird physical feeling because of their gilding, or glossy finish. And there are so many tempting options to try and find one that ticks all the boxes, instead of just “deep”. As you can imagine – they often tick all the other boxes and “deep” is forgotten.

With the depth year cardinal rule of not buying decks I'm finally removing the distraction of “maybe there's a better one”. Because there's clearly not many better ones in the pool that I already have. My question is – should I pull out the few deep decks I have and focus entirely on those? Supplemented with a few “comfort” readers, for quick and easy answers..? Would they be satisfying enough – if I really dug into them – to completely remove that uninspired boredom? Or is any sort of restriction counterproductive?

I think I want to give it a serious shot while remaining flexible, it is after all barely the middle of the first month. I'll keep a few of each type out and accessible, and try to focus on the richest ones, with brief forays into the fun zone when needed. I expect there will be an itemized update.